


The Lag Hypothesis

by VanillaDamage (WhatsPopping)



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Slow Burn, a lot of flirting, a lot of pining though, idk what im doing dog, it will get nsfw if i really stick to this thing but who knows i suck ass at keeping up with fics, like im talking about a thousand chapters before they even kiss or something
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:02:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26982571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhatsPopping/pseuds/VanillaDamage
Summary: Lenore Orlandi hasn't had the opportunity to become acclimated to androids. It wasn't a personal choice out of spite or hate, she just never had any reason to. Her previous job was more-or-less still human saturated and based, and her hometown was far away from the natural progression of "more population equals more development equals more technological advancements." So when she suddenly has to move to Detroit, more out of necessity than desire, she is thrown in the middle of the countries most advanced cities, a whiplash of machines and those who oppose them. Piling on top of the slight cultural shock, she is then hired by the Urban Farms of Detroit, where she is to be in the closest proximity she has ever been to a variation of Cyberlife's most valuable assets. Will she become exposed to the humans hatred towards these machines and drown in their gasps of suffering, or will she join the revolution and help make a path for a sympathetic future?
Comments: 6
Kudos: 7





	1. Autumn

**Author's Note:**

> I COMPLETLY FORGOT A HUGE CHUNK OF DIALOGUE WHY AM I LIKE THIS ILL FIX IT TONIGHT AND REDO THE NEXT CHAPTER  
> That summery sucks ass.  
> Yo, let's get this fuckin' bread, guys. I've written a lot of fics for my own personal wants, but I've never posted one before, so if there's mistakes galore I am so goddamn sorry and please forgive me. This may also come off as super self-indulgent, because it is, and I won't change that uwu

A gust of wind blew through Lenore’s hair as she stepped out of the subway, getting some wayward strands stuck to her mouth and covering them with chapstick. She spit them out, minded the gap, and popped her earbuds back in for her fifteen-minute walk to the Urban Farms of Detroit. Some leaves were starting to turn their yearly rustic reds and yellows, not quite ready to fall but ushering in autumn. It was cold enough that she was happy to wear a beanie and a long-sleeved, fleece overshirt; she missed this weather. Her move to Detroit was one of necessity and not completely of want, forcing her from the east coast where she grew up into the unknowns. Change was exhilarating and expected, and Lenore tried to keep an optimistic approach, but some days were just harder than others. People never really prepare for deep settled grief and uproots. Smelling fallen leaves sparked the nostalgic part of her brain reminiscent of better memories; she would welcome that. 

On top of that, a particularly shy woman had complimented her hair not five minutes ago, the nicest thing anyone from the city had said to her since she moved in almost a month ago. That, and today was her first _official_ day working at UFD; the past week was mostly orientation, getting her acquainted to the different employee facilities, medical service area, conference room, paper work, three interviews, safety training, etc. She hadn't seen anything regarding the actual _farming_ aspect yet, and she was just ready to have some _routine_ to her new life, as well as a stable income. Her savings were not in danger of being depleted quite yet, and she found a part-time job on the side that was holding her over for a bit, but she still needed stability or else she felt like she would snap if one more stressor entered her life. 

Applying for the farms was a godsend, and her new boss, Mr. Abagnale, stated that it was getting a little rough trying to find someone to fill in a spot in the new greenhouses they constructed. _Apparently_ , people living here weren't too keen on working in such close proximity to androids. Another variable that was exceptionally new to her; Lenore had never had the privilege to even speak one-on-one to an android, no less work alongside them. Back home she lived in a small and sleepy suburban area, not small enough to be a town but not large enough to be counted as a city, and the use of androids was simply not a necessity for day-to-day life like it was for such a large populous such as Detroit. They _fascinated_ her, and didn’t understand the seemingly unanimous hate towards them, something she attributed to lack of experience and ignorance on her part. A small part of her was afraid that she would agree with the hatred the more she became accustomed to the androids; she doubted she _could_ find such hate in her heart, but this past year had shown her that she couldn't be certain of anything in her life. 

On the first day of orientation, she chatted enthusiastically to a designated GJ500 as he led her and another new employee around the warehouse, showing the locker rooms and where they could pick up their green, geometric uniforms and the laundry facilities to clean them. He seemed perplexed by her friendly nature, answered her questions as best as he could, and was very polite- she enjoyed the interaction immensely. The other employee was neither bothered nor participant in the way she treated the android, which was a nice change of pace from the usual dismissive or downright abusive nature she had come across in such little time living here. Lenore had to bite her tongue more times than she’d like to admit seeing such interactions, worried it would cause more harm than good to the android, but she felt so useless standing around not defending anybody, regardless of humanity or not. In her heart of hearts, she _knows_ she’ll get herself into trouble in the future; it wasn’t a matter of if, but when. 

\+ 

The fifteen minutes were up, and she was stepping inside the worker entrance, thankful to feel a blast of warm air hit her face. It was colder so much sooner here than back home; she would have to dig out her winter gear when she got back home. She said a tired, but cheerful, hello to the android security guard sitting diligently at her security desk and showed her ID politely. They’ve gotten along well enough and Lenore was pleased with herself on that; she hadn't been feeling the most sociable for a while now, but she was working up to it. 

“Good morning.” She greeted with a small smile, taking her ID back and stuffing it in her work duffel bag. The guard just smiled politely back and waved her through; their models weren't much for social interaction, she'd come to learn from spending her free time researching what she could, but it still had the same affect to Lenore that a human smile would have. 

Walking through the now unlocked double doors, she made her way quickly down the hall and through another door that led to the warehouse. The company had designated buildings for certain farms in relation to the product being grown; the farms were on the roofs and other floors near to the top, and the floors below would be their general storage for fertilizer, manure, tools, seeds, etc. It also housed the necessary equipment for packing and shipment, the loading area for trucks, and human facilities as well as ones for the android workers. All she has met so far were the android guards, and while she did spot some other models out and about, she hadn't had a close enough look to remember any discernable faces. The humans and androids had different uniforms, but with the same basic aesthetic, and when you’re busy being carted around for orientation it can be hard to discern the difference between the two. 

At the end was a large factory-sized elevator that she had to take to the second floor to reach the locker rooms and change into her uniform before stopping by Mr. Abagnale’s office for her duties and tasks. Having a little bit of trouble getting her ID that doubled as a magnetic card to work, she finally walked into the locker room, went to a changing stall to get into her uniform, put her personal effects away, and took one last deep breath. She was always an anxious person, and she had stupidly forgotten to take her medication this morning out of nerves, so she silently hoped that she did well today without them. First days were difficult for anyone. Saying a polite ‘ _Hello!_ ’ back to another employee she didn’t recognize, she made her way to her boss’ office, hoping that she remembered the correct path. 


	2. First Impression

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FIXED THE CHAPTERS god bless  
> I wanted the dialogue at the beginning of this chapter to be in the last one but I was afraid it would mess people up so I shoved it in here - it still works, but I'm disappointed in my self lol  
> ALSO you should be aware that this time line is different from the game timeline; this particular story takes place about a year before the game gets going, and even then I'm going to be lengthening the time line of the game. A week, for me, its too short of a time to really do MUCH in a story format, and I have so many ideas in my smooth, chicken breast brain that I just HAVE to add them in. There's so much potential for more human based plot, in my honest opinion. So while the premise is the same, there will be more original content added in between big events.  
> God, what if years from now I published this thing the same way 50 Shades of Gray came to power; a fanfiction of an already based medium and I just changed the characters around lmao

Mr. Abagnale was a nice enough man, a little too comfortable with her for her tastes and had the general disposition of what her brother would call a ‘ _fuckin’_ _weenie_ ’, but he hadn’t done anything to make her regret taking up her new position. So far, he was simply deemed _neutral_ in her books. For now. The chair she was seated in was stiff and uncomfortable, and he babbled in front of her from his desk with exuberance. She nodded and smiled politely, glancing at the datapad containing her duties that was still clutched in his hands. She just wanted to go and do her job, but he was insistent on personal conversation. 

“Where did you say you moved from again?” He asked, in what she thought _he_ assumed was a charming way. She smiled tersely, the grin not reaching her eyes. 

“The east coast. It should be a bit warmer there this time of year. Are those my duties?” A vague answer with a change of subject. He seemed to remember himself after a beat with a quick ‘ _oh!’_ and hastily handed the pad to her, which she hoarded like a dragon with its gold. She would read it thoroughly later, while it wasn’t rude to do so in front of company. 

“So, there they are, you should be all set! You remember where the greenhouses are, right? Good. Go to greenhouse twenty-three first, the WR600 should be waiting for you there. For now, you’re still _technically_ in training, so it’ll be a position above you for now until we get the products really moving. Next week you also might have park duty. It should be detailed more in your pad.” He rapid-fired his send-off, turning to his terminal and tapping slowly on the keyboard. He missed her head shooting up at the mention of ‘ _t_ _he WR600 should-_ ’. 

“WR600? I’ll be working with an android?” She asked, not being able to hide her curiosity and confusion with furrowed brows. An android colleague was never mentioned to her, and she assumed most, if not all, of them were working in the warehouse. He looked at her warily from behind his glasses, misconstruing her reaction. 

“It’s standard procedure. I thought you were alright with the concept of working close with them? In your first interview-” He seemed to be on the verge of a lecture, so she waved her hands to stop and placate him, re-wording what she said. 

“No! No, of course I’m okay with working with them, I just wasn’t aware this was standard. We never had many working androids back home; I’m still learning how things are run in the city. I’m more than happy to work with a- a WR600, you said?” She finished with a flush, embarrassed that something so normal here was a surprise to her. Lenore felt like a such small-town doe-eyed _girl_ every day. Abagnale visibly relaxed. 

“That’s right; they were mostly sold as run-of-the-mill gardening androids, but with urban farms cropping up and doing well enough, Cyberlife has been kind enough to contract them out to the company. City parks, as well.” He explained further, laughing at his pun. She nodded, and began bidding him a farewell after a moment of awkward silence on her part; she was too busy thinking to herself. He simply wished her good luck, reminded her to turn in her report at the end of her shift, and asked her to close the door on the way out. 

\+ 

Greenhouse twenty-three was relatively easy to remember; it was on the roof and all the way to the back, opposite of the elevator, and the only greenhouse that was in operation. From the quick tour provided, she could see that they were already moving in some plants and the tools necessary to care for them. The elevator trip to the top was long enough that she was able to soak in the datapad now clipped to her utility belt; it wasn’t a long read, the greenhouse had just opened not a week before her first interview. The gist of it was that she, and the WR600, were to move product into the greenhouse and get everything settled in for proper plant maintenance. It seemed like they would be the only ones assigned to the greenhouse for now. Most of the products seemed to be general succulents and cactus’ for the time being, kept in storage for commercial sale. They are very easy to take care of and able to be left alone to their own devices while they set up shop for the more sensitive plants coming in the next few days. Lenore also would, indeed, have park duty next Wednesday, in the northwest side of the city and across a school. The details were not given, but she would report here first thing in the morning and they would take a work truck there. 

_They_. She would be working with an android at close proximity, and she was excited while also incredibly nervous. She had only _briefly_ heard of that designated android; they mostly worked on private gardens and were steadily moving towards maintenance for the city parks and, recently, the urban farms. Since she had only very recently moved and gotten settled to the city, she had no reason to have come across one before now. She was much too busy getting her affairs in order to make day-trips to one of the wonderful parks here. They were still an unknown to her, and while she did not have any negative feelings towards the premise, it was still uncharted territory and she was the only guide. 

There was also the possibility that the WR600 wouldn’t be too keen on working with her, a _human_ ; she saw the way they were treated and if the roles were reversed, _she_ wouldn’t be too thrilled at all with the situation. What if she said or did anything unknowingly rude, or ignorant? What if she couldn’t keep up, and they got annoyed with her? What if working alongside the android made her faults stand out, and got her fired for incompetence? Her self-doubts and worry were interrupted by the elevator doors sliding open and a burst of cold air hit her face; she was on the roof, but her stomach was still on the second floor. 

It was a bit of a trek getting to the other end of the roof, the building was longer than it was wide and was able to house multiple farms and greenhouses. Air vents plumed puffs of steam into the chilly air, there were hoses and various cables strewn across the concrete roof, and a handful of workers were busy finishing construction on the other four greenhouses. Here and there she heard the occasional power tool being used, as well as the _thunk_ _,_ _thunk_ of a hammer. There was enough room for the employees of UFD to get around without too much of a safety hazard, so she was able to make a beeline towards the back, keeping a hand on her standard uniform hat so it didn’t blow away in the rooftop winds. 

The greenhouse was in her view when she got stopped by a hand to her upper arm. Not expecting anything else besides getting to work, she pulled away and whipped her head around. It was the employee she had orientation with, she couldn’t remember his name. He was a tall, lanky man with a feminine, almost pretty, face. He brushed off her offense and standoffish demeanor to flash her a boyish grin. 

“I remember you, the new girl! Lacey? I haven't seen you up here, yet. First day?” He was friendly and harmless enough. 

“Lenore, and yes. I'm on my way to the greenhouses.” She corrected, making her way towards said building. She was halfway there, and hoped that gave him the hint that she should be going. It did not, and he walked in step with her. 

“Ah, the greenhouse, lucky you. I’ve just been running around passing along manifests between the farms. Apparently, they got the shipment wrong for acre fifteen and sent product early.” He gossiped, not making an effort to keep it a secret. She nodded with a small ‘ _ah’,_ glancing around as if she would see a massive mountain of crops with nowhere to go. There wasn’t any, of course. 

“Yeah, it's been a real clusterfuck, and _I’m_ the one having to deal with it. Some first couple of days, huh? You’d think they’d have a better digital system for all this stuff, but hey, it’s a relatively new company.” He was beginning to show he was easy to talk to and growing on her; maybe chatting wouldn’t be such a bad idea. After all, she would come across him again at some point, it wouldn’t hurt to make a good rapport. He also didn’t seem to mind or notice that she hadn't said anything yet. 

“Well, I’ll leave you to it, Lacey! Good luck, by the way, I heard you had to work with one of those plastic things. They give me the creeps; I would ask for a transfer.” He grimaced at the thought, and she shot him a hard expression, but not enough to be a glare. 

“Lenore. What’s wrong with them?” She asked, the question coming out more curious than harsh. He tripped over a cable for a second. 

“Nothing, really, I just don’t like how they act, without any emotions. Or feelings. I wouldn’t trust it to have my back, is all.” He supplied, and she still eyed him warily as they stopped in front of the greenhouse door. It wasn’t outright _hateful_ and rude like some of the things she's heard, but it still didn’t sit right with her. After all, androids couldn’t harm or let harm come to a human, so she trusted her new colleague enough to not get her actively hurt or _killed_. Besides, there were _humans_ who didn't act as if they had 'socially correct' emotions or feelings, and they still deserved respect and kindness. Why should androids be any different?

“Right. I'll talk to you later some time.” She bid him farewell, and he smiled that same lopsided grin again, paired with a wink, and left with a wave of his hand. Lenore watched his retreating back for a moment, assessing her first impression. He was... okay, but on thin ice. Usually, if someone wasn't empathetic to one 'living' thing, however loose the definition, they wouldn’t be with others. His argument was at least something else other than the usual lacking of compassion. She didn’t know where he fit. 

Heavy in her thoughts, she didn’t hear the door behind her open, and only figured it out when she blindingly reached behind her in a hurry to grab the handle and push. Instead of a cold, metal handle, her hand palmed hard against stiff fabric with a solid body underneath, and then shoved not even an inch back. Whoever it was grunted quietly at the sudden intrusion. Taking her hand back as if she touched a hot stove, her face immediately flushed when she realized she had effectively _molested_ somebody’s abdomen on accident, and she whirled around to apologize profusely. 

“Jesus Christ, I’m so sorry! I wasn’t-” Her sentence got lost in her throat for a moment, “I wasn’t paying attention, sorry!” 

Lenore wasn’t expecting their first meeting to be so embarrassing and awkward, and on top of that she was now horrified to find out that the WR600s were terribly _good-looking_. Who designed them? Why would they do this for a _gardening_ android? Even with the obvious asymmetry to his facial model, it still made her heart beat that much faster against her will, _a_ _nd_ she had grazed her hand down the length of his torso in the haste to get inside. He looked down at her with curious, narrowed eyes and subtly titled his head; he was most definitely _amused_ at her embarrassment. Her face got hotter at the thought that he was enjoying her discomfort, an almost _teasing_ manner in his body language.

“Apology not needed. It was an accident.” He said gently, and she faltered again, his voice dripping with absolute _honey._ Lenore was now seriously regretting missing her dose of medication this morning and promised to set up two more alarms in the future. She took a further step back so that her flushing face wasn’t so obvious, looking around nervously and down before holding out her hand. _Fake it until you make it_ ; she wanted to gloss over the situation immediately. Plus, she didn’t want the poor thing to feel uncomfortable with her lecherous, leering eyes. 

“I’m Lenore, it's very nice to meet you!” Her voice and grin didn’t waver, which she was thankful for, and she felt her heart slow down. 

“Likewise.” He replied, still honeyed. He took off his glove so a proper handshake could be given. She was delighted and surprised to feel a very warm and _human_ hand beneath hers; she hoped her small shock didn’t come off as disgust. They parted and she waited for him to continue, but he didn’t, and instead stood there still staring at her with a flat, neutral expression. It was a little unnerving, the way he looked down at her, like he knew something she didn't. He also didn't retreat back into his own personal space away from hers, so she did that for the both of them. Lenore didn't appreciate the sudden shift in demeanor, like it was split-second switch from being normal to, well... _creepy_ , in a way. It wasn’t a _leering_ creepy, but unsettling and buzzing with nerves. She smiled, hoping it came off genuine.

“Do... do you have a name I can call you? WR600 is a handful, and your serial even more so.” She gently poked his printed designation on his uniform before she could stop herself, “Unless you like that! I don’t want you to feel like you _have_ to have another identifier just to make it easier for me. We can work something out.” ‘ _Oh my god, shut up.’_ she chided herself. His face shifted from stone to surprise; it was an incredibly subtle micro-expression, and she was certain she would've missed it if she hadn't been staring at the color of his eyes shamelessly. They were hazel, rimmed with tired, dark circles, and swallowed the sky whole.

“...you may call me Dimitri.”


	3. Hoses and Humanity

The next couple of days went fairly smooth, much to Lenore’s relief. It helped that their current duties weren’t exactly difficult to do; just putting together tables, shelves, and other storage units for the future product to be placed. Greenhouses, apparently, had a lot more inner workings behind the scenes than just being a place for plants to sit and look pretty. They spent an entire day just hooking up the sprinkler system and the control panel for the humidity and temperature. Well, Lenore couldn’t exactly take _all_ the credit for that day; Dimitri was the one who had the knowledge for hooking up all the more complicated electrical and mechanical devices they needed before plants could be brought in. She just assisted with making sure the power was off whenever he had to test the electrical output of something, and getting all the other menial tasks out of the way so they didn’t have to worry about it the next day and fall behind. 

Today was an easy and slow day; the weather was a little warmer so she braved keeping the door open with a forgotten brick, letting in the fresh air and occasional breeze. She asked him if he was alright with it first, of course, and he good-naturally told her to do whatever she liked. Well, he said it more eloquently than that, but the premise was still the same. Right now, she was putting together a metal shelving unit, the different parts strewn about the floor and surrounded by various screwdrivers and allen wrenches. She wasn’t a very tidy worker, much to Dimitri’s dismay; he constantly had to remind her to put everything back in its proper place. Thankful for kneepads, she blindly reached to her right for the correct sized tool and began working on getting the wheels screwed in the base, turning up the music in her earbuds one level. Not loud enough to drown out her environment, that would be rude, but she was able to catch the beat and hummed along absentmindedly. 

Since it's been a good couple minutes of silence, she snuck a glance at Dimitri. He was next to her, on his back and under a table hooking something-or-other up for the micro-greens that should be getting here sometime this month. An irrigation system of sorts - she was embarrassed to admit that she hadn’t paid close enough attention to him while he was explaining it at the beginning of the day. His face was still neutral as ever while he reached up and screwed some fasteners over a small hose to connect it to a pump; yesterday's test didn’t go well and he was looking for a leak. Some of the water dripped down and landed on his face, rolling down the slope of his cheekbone, her eyes following its path. He didn’t flinch when it dropped, or move to wipe it off, so she paid him the favor by quickly getting at it with a graze of her knuckles before it trailed any further. He didn’t acknowledge her and just kept messing with the tubes above him, so she went back to her own work. 

She was positively _fascinated_ with him. Her little crush only grew redder the more they worked together, and while she didn’t allow it to get in the way of their professional relationship, it was still noticeable and created little butterflies in her stomach whenever she had the chance to stop and look at him. He was a smaller android compared to the rest, which she _delighted_ in, and not at all talkative, but when he _did_ speak it enraptured her. Lenore assumed she would be able to get over her crush if the attraction stopped at his pretty face; the ability to simply appreciate someone for being handsome, but nothing else beyond that. Unfortunately, that would not be the case. Their interactions were brief and always work related, but even then, he was still very gentle and patient with her. He was even a little _touchier_ than she would have ever guessed considering his, well, _everything._ It didn’t happen often, either, but when it did, she thought about it after her shift was over and she was home alone with her thoughts. There was one particular instance on her very first day that she kept playing like a broken record in her head. 

It was quick and not at all something anyone would deem memorable; Dimitri just helped her keep steady while she climbed up a ladder to retrieve a box they needed, back at the storage warehouse. His hand hovered over her body for a moment before he was satisfied she wouldn’t fall, letting her go about her business. He barely touched her and was already walking away before she could say ‘ _t_ _hank you_ ’, but it was a moment she thought was sweet, coming from an android. She almost thought about asking if it was part of his programming on more than one occasion. She certainly didn’t need the help that day, her climb not at all high up, but he still thought it imperative to keep watch over her. On the other hand, she felt like it would be inappropriate to do so. It wasn’t a huge inconvenience for him that he did so, and she didn’t like constantly comparing his mannerisms to that of a ‘normal’ human. He was still likable as he was, why question it? 

“Lenore.” 

She blinked dumbly, shook her head, and realized too late that she had been staring out into space, caught in her thoughts. Dimitri had been trying to get her attention. She took out her earbuds and gripped her screwdriver tighter, face flushing at being caught without a coherent thought in her head. 

“What- what was that you were saying?” She asked, apology in her tone. She desperately tried to make it look like she was _not_ getting lost looking at his face. _Again._

“I need you to hold this.” He repeated, deadpan as ever, gesturing to the hose pinched between his fingers. He went without gloves today, the work being delicate. She wondered, if he was human, would he call her out for acting strange, or was it just in his nature to let these things slide? She placed her tool gently on the hard ground and nodded. 

“Sure! Anywhere specific, or...” 

“Right where I am.” He directed, and she hummed in affirmation before getting a closer look at what exactly he wanted her to do. She had to get under with him, their shoulders pressed together as she settled on her back to reach comfortably. Lenore was too focused on not fucking up the _incredibly expensive_ pumping system above them to mentally acknowledge how close they were. She shakily placed her hand over his own to make sure the water wouldn’t get on the both of them, or cause any more damage. It wouldn’t look very good if she broke something worth _thousands_ of dollars in her first week. 

“I got it; you can let go.” She said, maneuvering her fingers a little more so he could slip them out from under hers and she could properly get a hold on the hose. He was warm next to her. A little water sprayed out and hit her mouth before she could plug up the leak in time. Mission successful. They basked in a bit of comfortable silence. 

“What are you doing now?” Lenore asked after a moment of watching him tinker with a couple of fasteners and tubes. Now that she got a good look at everything, she could see it was, indeed, an irrigation system built into the underside of the table. It looked complicated; she wouldn’t know what to do if she was by herself. 

“Checking for additional leaks.” He explained, reconnecting another set of hoses and turning the machine back on. Her eyes wandered over the maze of the parts above her, already getting lost. She shifted again; the cold concrete not exactly comfortable on her back. Water flowed easily through the rest of the machine without a problem. The micro-greens will be happy little plants, indeed. 

“Will you be able to get away with just patching the hose up, or will you need to get a replacement?” She asked after he turned the system back off, relieving her of her duties. Some wayward drops of water splashed on her mouth again, and she wiped them away, sputtering in the process. 

“I’m ordering a replacement.” He answered and she laughed, thinking he messed up verbiage. 

“What, like right now?” She teased with a smile, turning her head to look at him while mirrored her action. She realized at this moment that he didn’t breathe; if he did, she would feel air puff across her face, they were that close. Finding herself having to do this often, she took back her personal space, scooting away a couple of inches, waiting for his response to her teasing. He was a bit slow to catch on whenever she joked around with him, but she still enjoyed it, and he didn’t seem to mind. It was something she found _exceptionally_ cute. 

“Yes.” 

_Pardon?_ She gaped at him, stars in her eyes, absolutely beside herself. 

“Really? I didn’t know you could do that! That’s neat!” She exclaimed with delight, rolling on her side to face him proper now that she had this new information. Lenore had no idea that androids were capable of access beyond the basics of what Cyberlife provided. She just assumed they were limited to what Cyberlife deemed ‘allowable', like a firewall, or something. He didn’t say anything, just gave her a very miniscule smile and nod. 

“You’ll have to tell me everything you can do, sometime! I feel awful I’m not as educated as I should be about androids.” She confessed, rolling again to get on her stomach and shimmy out from under the table. Her help was not needed any more, and she had to finish getting this shelf together before she clocked out. 

“...why is that?” _Oh?_ It was the first question Dimitri had asked her since their time together. She glanced back up at him as he got seated much more gracefully than her, picking up a screwdriver and getting started on putting together the frame-work. Her answer was stalled when she noticed his LED was yellow, something she had never seen before. She always assumed it stayed blue. His question was more important, however, so she forgot about it.

“Well... it makes me feel willfully _ignorant,_ I suppose, not knowing all I can about androids. I mean, we have to live and work together in ‘harmony’, and all that pretty shit, but how can we when humans don’t take the time to be empathetic towards you guys? And I don't exactly have a good enough excuse _not_ to know more, with all the scientific journals posted, as well as just using the internet.” She started to ramble, gesticulating wildly the more she went on, everything she had felt inside her chest this past month bubbling up and out of her mouth, feeling the pressure release, “To be empathetic, you have to _understand_ , and to understand you have to make the conscious effort to _learn_. Me learning more about you isn’t an inconvenience, or something, it’s just... basic _humanity_. Besides, it's just a _nice_ thing to do.” She finished off by screwing the last wheel into place, mouth set a little more tersely than she would like. She hadn’t meant to go off such a tangent, scared she somehow made him upset when he didn’t say anything back, instead clicking a shelf into place. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to come off so... angry. It’s not towards you, I promise! I just...” She didn’t finish her sentence, not really knowing why she _was_ so upset. He was staring at her again. 

“I’m a machine, I don’t need to be shown humanity.” He finally spoke, his words even and without tone, but his LED was still flickering between blue and yellow. She needed to ask Jason, the employee who was at orientation with her, what it meant. Her gaze softened, and her hand instinctually reached out to place it over his own. 

“I know, but I don’t mind showing it to you.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That chapter title is so stupid, aint it?  
> Next chapter should have more plot, I think, maybe. I DO have one, but I need to establish some things, first.  
> More room for cute, little shit, ya know? Before it becomes not so cute wink wonk


	4. Almost

The first time Dimitri saw Lenore outside of work, it was raining and _well_ into the night on a Friday. The android was on rotation for this week's city maintenance, picking up the curbside trash cans from businesses in a specific set of blocks. The route he was currently on goes past a mildly popular bar that the humans like to frequent in the downtown area; it wasn’t on his list of trash receptacles to handle, but the small tobacco shop across the street was. It was busier than usual this night, groups of humans wandering between alley ways and flooding out of the buildings that were closing for the night. He didn’t understand why humans kept themselves out so late, especially since he knew they _needed_ sleep to reset their brains and get themselves ready for the next day. It was all much more complicated than androids going on standby, but the premise was the same. Still, he didn’t fully understand _a lot_ about them, to be fair, but it wasn't in his programing to care about these things. So why did he falter in his work when he realized who he was looking at? 

He almost didn’t recognize her standing under the awning to keep out of the rain, an instrument case slung on her back. Lenore had just exited the bar, The Blue Room, and was scrolling on her phone, the light illuminating her face. She wasn’t wearing her uniform, and the style she was dressed in was _not_ something he expected, given her friendly and _almost_ shy personality. He used that term loosely; he couldn’t quite pin down her exact personality yet. It was all dark colors and ripped clothing, a grungy skirt set-piece covered with a large denim jacket that she kept open. Even with her laced ankle boots, she probably would _just_ barely reach his height. All androids were equipped to appreciate human constructs of beauty on some form or another, one of the baselines for their social programming, and he decided that she did, indeed, look very nice. A quick vital scan revealed she was sober; what was she doing at a bar so late? His musings and moment of recognition happened in a split-second, and he was already forgetting about it, his base programming overriding. 

**_Complete your route; go to the next block. Repeat._ **

Another line of coding wormed its way into his programs, sometimes, making him feel _wrong_ , like something foreign was deep inside and no matter how much debugging he did, he couldn’t shake the nausea. He couldn’t dig it out, like a splinter, raw and bleeding. It only happened when he was performing his city maintenance duties, the familiar feeling making him dread these nights, almost toying with the idea of leaving his post. _Almost_. To go against what he was programmed to do would mean he would _deviate_ from what the humans demanded from androids, and to be deviant would mean _deactivation._ Basic self-preservation urged him not to do so - not to voice his discomfort; he did his work, he ignored the burning, and obeyed that gnarled code that made him forget these nights.

The tobacco shop never had that much trash; he would be done soon and moving on to the daycare the next block over, his last stop. Then, he could finally return to the UFD and go on standby until the morning, positively _relieved_ that he didn’t forget any moments of this particular night. A loud cacophony of voices distracted him for a bit, glancing across the street while he wheeled the next trashcan over to be emptied by the mechanics of the truck. It was a group of men, shouting and shoving each other, but in a good-natured way, exiting the same bar Lenore did. He saw Lenore whip her head towards them, the sudden break in the stillness of the night catching her attention for a moment, a basic human instinct to look towards loud sounds and assess the situation. Dimitri could see from here that she had a sudden spike in her heartrate after she stared at the group for a small moment, then looked down the opposite end of the street impatiently. He took too long observing her reaction, his eyes narrowing and shifting between the group and her, trying to decipher why she was suddenly so nervous and what the exact nature of the relationship between them was. 

**_Complete your route; go to the next block._ **

He returned the now empty trashcan to its original spot on the sidewalk and went to grab the last one remaining. He glanced across the street again, a sick feeling in his core bubbling forward; he was... _confused._ This type of sickness was different from the dread he would feel about that voice _deep_ inside his coding.

The group of men were chattering at the curb, singling out one of their own and constantly looking back towards Lenore, not exactly stealthy in their ministrations. They were goading him on, the reason as to why, Dimitri did not know. Lenore was shifting on her feet, all the previous relaxation in her body gone and instead replaced with something else; he couldn’t discern exactly what, but it wasn’t her usual baseline demeanor. He didn’t like seeing her this way. He didn’t like the discomfort he felt watching her, knowing he could _not_ interfere unless a human was in a potentially dangerous situation. 'Drunk and disorderly' did not count as dangerous, unless certain parameters were met in the 'emergency services' subsection of androids 'human protection' coding.

She kept glancing down at her phone and then back down the street; she was waiting for something, or someone. The man who was being teased was now making his way towards her, his friends watching with grinning faces, chatting between themselves and egging him on; Dimitri committed the exact profile of this human _instantly,_ subconsciously. He was of average height, underweight for a human of his stature, with dark hair, light eyes, and wearing what would be considered fashionable for this season. His confidence was lacking, his walk over to Lenore slow and weary, like he knew what was going to happen and already predicting the negative outcome. His hands were hidden in his jacket pockets, Dimitri couldn’t see if he had a weapon or not. 

**_Complete your route._ **

Dimitri blinked the command away this time, the trashcan sat forgotten on the curb for the time being. He hesitated. He was... _afraid_ for her safety. He could not decide if it was because she was a human in possible danger, or if it was because of something else beyond that. Something not in his programming. Something he didn’t understand. He’s never come across a situation like this; the _real_ danger of someone being assaulted. Would he interfere? Would that be allowed by his programming?

The man was now only a couple of feet away from Lenore, saying something quick to her. Dimitri took a step off the curb and into the street, preparing to make his way towards them. To do what, exactly, he did not know. He only stopped when he saw Lenore turning to face the unknown man directly and take an intimidating step forward, her face twisted into something he had never seen her wear before; _anger_. Unbridled, and spitting with absolute _fury_. She was yelling, quickly and passionately; he couldn’t hear her words over an approaching vehicle, its lights illuminating the figures in the darkness and rain. He took the opportunity to record the man's face for a better profile, locking it away for possible future reference. He didn’t understand why he did that; he couldn’t exactly do anything if he saw him again. 

Lenore was still yelling while she climbed into the vehicle, a little clumsy with the instrument case, but with determined haste; it was a self-driving taxi. She was waiting for it this _entire_ time. That was _much_ too long. He recorded the tag number and sent a quick report to Cyberlife for subpar service. He could see through the windows that she was still shouting, holding up a rude gesture with her hands towards the man as the taxi drove down the street. The man was completely and utterly dejected, shock still on his face from her quick and sudden onslaught. His friends were cackling _wildly_ at their friend’s expense, and he shoved one a little too hard in defense, both of them toppling into the street. What was left of their group had to break them apart, a smaller one walking the rejected man down the street, his face twisted into concern, the others trailing behind after they made sure the other man wasn’t hurt. 

Dimitri did not care about them anymore and returned to his duties; he released a breath of relief, something he did not need to do, puffed into the cold rain, drenched in the drops. He unclenched his fists, the vice grip almost damaging his exterior, the self-preservation receptors shut down when his core overheated. He breathed in deeply, a basic cooling mechanism used for a last resort, waving away the ' **Danger; Core Temperature Exceeding Limit’** alerts impatiently. He needed to calm down; she was safe and away from harm, and he would’ve been there if it were necessary. He needed to finish his route; he could make sure she was truly alright next Monday. He didn’t deviate, he was _fine_ , the set leeway time for unallocated tardiness was within its boundaries; he wouldn’t get a referral for his distraction. He wouldn’t be deactivated. He didn’t do anything outside his programming.

He didn’t feel normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I listened to that fucking BIG CHUNGUS song while writing this lmao  
> Sorry it's so short, I wanted to have a Dimitri centered chapter SOON to really get into his dome-piece, and to explore deviancy and what the parameters could possibly be, and what exactly constitutes as deviating for an android.  
> So... did he REALLY deviate so soon?? I dunno, I'm not the writer wink wonk  
> Find out in some more chapters!


	5. First Confession

It had been almost a month to the day that Lenore started working at the Urban Farms of Detroit, and she could safely and confidently say it was the most enjoyable month she’s had in _years_. Living in Detroit was quite nice, by itself, but it’s been so long since she's been able to _truly_ be independent. Being too busy finalizing affairs with lawyers and getting her house to code kept her mind occupied; she simply didn’t have the right mindset to fully appreciate what she had. It was only when she dotted some _‘i's_ ’ and crossed some ‘ _t’s’_ that it finally seeped into her bones and skin that she had her _own_ life; could make her _own_ choices, form her _own_ friendships, dress how _she_ wanted, make what _she_ wanted for dinner. She was so afraid for so _long_ that just the possibilities of these choices would leave her overwhelmed and frightened. So, she _dressed_ pretty and _acted_ pretty and _talked_ pretty to fend off the hooks and battered words. Fear of the unknown caged her and kept her tackled to what she knew; what she perceived as _safe_. She wished she left so much sooner. She thought she was happy for years, not knowing that _this_ is what happiness felt like. It was waking up in a bed by _yourself,_ dictating your days off for _yourself._ It was her, by _herself_. 

Leaves kicked up in the wind on her walk to work, autumn coming in full swing without holding back. It was biting cold, whipping at her hair and cheeks. Lenore still had to take public transport and then walk the rest of the way to wherever she needed to go, but her money was getting to the point where she could afford a used vehicle, be it a shitty, older car or a small motorcycle meant for beginners, she did not care. Her ex was _insistent_ that they shared hobbies, and that included weekend motorcycle trips with their other married friends, a way to parade her around while also keeping her in check; she thought herself so _stupid_ for not realizing it was just another way to make sure she didn’t form her own opinions, becoming too independent. So, while it was just another tactic back then to stifle her own personhood, she had to admit that now it did the opposite and instead gave her many options with what she decided to use as an alternative to the subway and buses. While she didn’t mind the route she had to take, she _did_ mind the weather, and it would soon be much too cold to handle a fifteen-minute walk outside. 

She was bundled up, her warm breathe puffing against her scarf, her glasses fogging up in the process. Her contacts had run out _just_ this Sunday, and they wouldn’t be delivered until tomorrow evening, so she had to make due. It helped that they didn’t have park duty today and instead would _finally_ be moving some proper product into the greenhouse. It was mostly inventory work, and incredibly boring, but it also meant that it wouldn’t be too labor intensive, and she wouldn’t have to worry about her glasses sliding off her nose from sweat, or the possibility of accidentally breaking them. It also meant that she would be able to have Dimitri all to herself in their designated greenhouse. The other four weren’t built to code just yet, the promise of them being up and running well into the future months. It would be a very fine day, indeed.

It was uneventful all the way up to the roof; she said quick greetings to her coworkers and some androids, but nothing more than that. It was a Monday, after all, and everyone was still coming down from their weekend. The warehouse androids weren’t much talkers to begin with, which she thought very unfortunate given that she was so used to Dimitri being more socially adept at holding conversations, even if he was still considered to be more on the introverted side, even by androids’ standards. She often wondered if the laborer androids desired to be more social, if they were programmed to be quieter than most, or if it was their human supervisors who instilled that quality into them; be a working _machine_ , not a human. Regardless, she still made the time to include them whenever she could, even if it was just a quick ‘ _good morning, good evening!_ ’ when they crossed paths. Jason often poked fun at her for being so friendly towards them, “ _They’re just machines, you don’t say hello to a forklift, do you?_ ”, but she never paid any mind towards him. It didn’t kill anyoneto be a little respectful towards androids, now did it? She certainly didn’t think so.

Almost tripping on a wayward hose, she stumbled into the warmth of the greenhouse, shutting the door behind her gently so the wind wouldn’t slam it shut like last time. Dimitri was already working when she got in, of course, placing some bags of fertilizer in the corner to make room for today’s plants. Lenore shivered off the last of the cold before the humidity seeped in, shrugging off her work jacket; now that they had the temperature set proper warm for the plants, she had to battle not sweating all over the place while working inside, instead choosing to work in her short-sleeved, UFD regulated undershirt, while at the same time comfortable in a _very_ good sports bra, thank you kindly. You couldn’t very well garden in a _Victoria's Secret_ – a mistake she learned the hard way her first week. She walked into the greenhouse fully after she got situated, unclipping her datapad to skim over today’s duties; two pallets were coming soon, so they had to move some product around to make room for them. 

“Good morning, Dimitri! Happy Monday! Are you excited to get some _real_ plants in?” She babbled at him happily, flicking through her datapad to pull up the inventory directories. Coriander and spearmint are the first herbs to come in this week, so they need to unpackage all the pots for them and get them settled in their proper workspace. 

“Good morning. I saw you Friday night.” He greeted in return with his soft and gentle voice. She started to melt in the softness of his tone, like warm candlelight, when her brain registered what he said. She whipped her head up, absolutely _not_ expecting that. Lenore knew him well enough to understand he wasn’t joking, or telling a _lie_. She wracked her brain trying to remember that night, and where he could have possibly _seen_ her, her face scrunched in thought; she clocked out of work here, went home, made dinner, had her weekly therapy appointment, got ready for her gig at the bar, worked there – the garbage truck! She completely forgot! 

“Oh my god, that was _you_?!” She laughed, clipping her datapad back onto her utility belt. That was the _only_ time she’s ever seen one of the city maintenance androids at night, and it was _Dimitri._ She just assumed it was another one of his models on route that night. 

“That’s so funny we saw each other! I never knew you worked for sanitation! Did you just start? I always assumed you just did this.” She gestured around the greenhouse, and he shook his head no, facing her fully and politely folded his hands in front of him. His usual ‘ _relaxation_ ’ pose, she has since deemed. 

“I’ve been working in sanitation since my activation two years and eight months ago. Tuesday’s and Friday’s from seven in the evening until midnight.” He clarified, actually taking notice to answer a question that wasn’t asked. He was getting better at context in social situations, something he picked up from observing her. 

“Ah, that explains it, then! I work until eleven those same nights, usually, but I had to cover another girl’s shift for a little bit that night. I’m so mad at myself! I thought about coming over to say hi, but I didn't know if it was you or not!” She grumbled the end of her sentence, frustrated that she didn’t take the opportunity when it was practically _given_ to her. Worried she would be in a bad mood all day at her own ineptitude, she instead started to help him clean up the greenhouse, walking towards where he was to help gather the rest of whatever was laying around and move it out of the way. She grabbed a couple of boxes filled with pH-testers for the water supply, cradling them under one arm, while heaving up her own bag of fertilizer, moving them both to the corner. She made sure to stack everything neatly, for his sake. 

He didn’t say anything else, so she assumed the conversation ended there; she still wanted to ask a _million_ questions, but she made a promise to herself that she wouldn’t bombard him until the afternoon, after she had her break. It wasn’t until after she made sure the fertilizer wouldn’t fall and make a mess that she noticed something was... off. Even though he was his usual quiet self, she couldn’t help but notice he was giving off a different _mood_. Like something was left unsaid, hanging in the air between them, and not because of the humidity. Lenore watched him while he sprayed mist over some of the succulents opposite of her, wondering if his posture could give her a clue. When he turned his head to work on the next row of plants, she could see his LED was slowly shifting between yellow and blue. 

After that day with the irrigation system, she opted out of asking Jason what that meant, and instead did the research herself back home. She was worried Jason would produce an untruthful answer, considering what he said about Dimitri on her first day. From what she gathered from the official Cyberlife website, their LED’s were generally used as an external feedback biocomponent, the colors and intensity displaying their mental processing stability. Blue was a stable, neutral condition, at task with their proper programming. Yellow was increased activity or strain; it could be either good or bad, depending on the situation. She likened it to simply thinking more outside of their basic programming, like asking a personal question or opinion, or if... if something was upsetting them. Lenore saw a distressed android for the first time not even a couple days ago; their ‘owner’ was being combative, and the android couldn’t defend themselves, her LED displayed that piercing yellow. The android in question wasn’t harmed physically, but Lenore knew from experience that verbal assault could have the same affect as any other form of abuse. Red meant... she didn’t like reading about red, so she stopped there for the night. Seeing yellow on Dimitri worried her a bit, the only time it happened was on that particular day when he asked her why she was so keen on treating androids kindly. 

“Hey,” she directed towards him gently, her tone of voice catching his attention, “you okay?” 

He blinked and rose his eyebrows, as if he was caught in thought, then relaxed and simply nodded and smiled that miniscule, lopsided smile you could miss if you blinked. It was barely a twitch of his lips, and didn’t reach his eyes. She frowned. 

“What’s going on. Your light is yellow.” She didn’t give up. Past Lenore would be aghast at her behavior; she would _never_ have called someone out on their lies before. Past Lenore didn’t ask questions - past Lenore accepted everything at face value because that’s what was _expected_. Dimitri looked a little taken aback, but not angry like the little part of her feared. He put the misting-bottle down and faced her fully, his LED now a steady yellow. 

“I... saw what happened. With that man.” He finally said, his tone even and unwavering, but he looked... nervous. Well, as nervous as _he_ could outwardly be, anyway; any other person walking by would see him behaving as his usual self, but she could confidently say she knew how to read his micro-expressions. He didn’t look her in the eyes longer than a moment, and she caught his Adam's apple bob with a swallow, something he did _not_ need to do, a nervous tick reserved for humans. 

“Oh Jesus, yeah. _That_ guy. _Ugh,_ I almost forgot about him.” She groaned, not as worried anymore. She honestly thought _she_ did something wrong to upset him. He didn’t look as perturbed after her reaction, instead he looked confused. It could’ve been a very serious situation, and she seemed more _inconvenienced_ than anything. 

“What about him has got you so upset?” She asked gently, trying to coax him into expressing what was on his mind. He wasn’t very good at explaining what was going on in that metal head of his that _didn’t_ have something to do with gardening. Which normally didn’t bother her and she would let it slide, but this seemed more important then the usual questions she would ask him; such as, if he would still like her if she turned into a snail? Or, would he rather fight fifty horse-sized worms, or a hundred worm-sized horses? The usual. 

He narrowed his eyes, his mouth pursed in an imperceptibly thin line. It seemed like he wanted to say something, but didn’t quite know how to get it out properly. By the end of it, his light was not only yellow, but also teetering on the edge of blinking _red._ It was brief, not even worth a breath, but Lenore saw it, and panicked on the inside. Without thinking, she shortened the space between them and urged him closer. 

“You don’t have to talk about it, it’s okay.” She said quickly, breathlessly, grabbing him by the shoulders and slowly smoothing her hands up and down his arms in what she hoped was a soothing manner. She wasn't entirely sure if he was comfortable with affection or not, but instinct told her to give him some physical comfort, anyways. Androids and humans were different, yes, but that didn’t cross her mind as she treated him like he was any other person who seemed to be on the edge. She regretted asking, not fully knowing how to handle this type of situation. Lenore read at one point that particularly stressed androids tended to _self-destruct_ , and she most certainly did _not_ want that to happen now, or any other time. 

“Forgive me. It’s just... you were _scared_. Undeniably. That's not something I ever want to see.” He finally said after he found the right words to describe what he was thinking. She frowned sympathetically; she wouldn’t like seeing _him_ scared, either. 

“Yeah, I was scared,” she admitted, deciding that he would appreciate her being truthful _more_ than trying to put on a brave face, “but, then I remembered he was a fucking pussy who bothers all the girls at the bar and then _cries_ when he doesn’t go home with one of us. He’s been kicked out a couple times. I wouldn’t worry about him.” 

Dimitri didn’t seem all the way convinced, but his LED had some of that familiar sky blue peeking through the amber. It was a start. 

“He hasn’t hurt you, has he?” He asked hesitantly with his honeyed voice, but with conviction, like he knew deep down he didn’t want to know that answer, but he _needed_ it, regardless. Lenore shook her head, and had to hold back a laugh. 

“ _No_ , god, not at all. He doesn’t get further than asking for my number _for the fourth time_ and then sulking when I tell him I don’t know how phones work... and that I can’t read numbers.” The mischievous giggle came spilling from her lips before she could stop herself, worried it wasn’t exactly appropriate to joke about her being _harassed_ all the time at her second job. The worry melted away when Dimitri did something absolutely _exquisite_ ; he actually _chuckled_ , his mouth quirking in an amused, but small, smile. It was an incredibly low laugh and situated deep in his chest, she would’ve missed it if they weren't so close together, but it was _there_. She felt herself positively _beam_ despite the warming flush creeping up her neck and cheeks, and he took the moment to brush his hand against her hip. He was watching her closely. Her heart stilled for a split-second; he’s never touched her without a proper reason, before. Despite her slight excitement, she also didn’t want to put any sort of lecherous human context into something so innocent; she was certain he didn’t mean for it to have a certain affect on her besides basic physcial comfort.

Her inner turmoil was interrupted, however, when his LED blinked yellow rapidly, his face twitched once ever so slightly. Now _this_ she recognized, and she tried to hide her disappointment that their moment was over. She stepped back, taking her hands away from him, his own dropping back to his side, slipping back into work-mode and waiting for what he just received from the company to be explained to her. Lenore felt a swirl of emotions deep in her stomach that she couldn’t separate and identify.

“The shipment arrived; we should meet up with the off-loaders.”

Lenore just nodded with a hum of affirmation and turned on heel, shrugging her jacket back on and waiting for him by the door. It was going to be cold, again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahaha nooo don’t get harassed on the street, you’re so sexy ahaha  
> Sorry for the wait, my bitch ass was busy!!! I hope this chapter suffices wink wonk  
> I know I said slow burn but this feels so fast to me?? It’s just one girl crushing on one dingdong so of course she’s gunna be like “you deadass?” when he touches her, that’s my excuse anyways :/  
> The confession is up to interpretation!!!!


End file.
